Sorcerer's Curse
by White Wolf1
Summary: An old enemy returns to get his ultimate revenge against Robin.
1. Default Chapter

(I don't own the TV characters. They're just on loan for a while. No profit, just entertainment.)

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SORCERER'S CURSE

by White Wolf

Chapter One

Robin walked through the forest along a narrow trail toward the camp where they had spent the last three weeks. He knew this particular path so well, he was able to move easily with little thought. The path was so narrow at this point that he and his band had to move in single file, so they couldn't see the confusion on their young leader's face.

Robin wasn't sure what exactly it was he was feeling, but he knew it had something to do with the old woman he and the others had just encountered. Who was she, and why did he have such a strong feeling of dread deep in the pit of his stomach? 

He thought back to the encounter, involuntarily shivering at the memory. The old woman, small, bent and dried up like a leaf in winter, had approached the outlaws as they left the road that led from Wickham. None of them had ever seen her before, but they assumed she was there to request help or maybe thank them for some kindness they had done for her family or her village. 

The truth would prove to be profoundly different.

She had walked straight up to Robin and looked long into his eyes. She reached up and touched a gnarled finger to his cheek. It lingered there, and then she pulled it down along his jaw. He felt the rough nail bite into his skin, though there was no blood. The touch sent a tremor through his whole body. Yet, he was unable to summon the will to push her hand away.

"What do you want, old woman?" Will demanded of her. He was ready to intervene until he saw she held no weapon. He still wasn't pleased to see her touching Robin.

Without taking her eyes from Robin's, she said, "You will pay, Robert of Huntingdon, for what you've done." The woman pulled her finger away then and laughed. It was a dry, crackling sound that gave Marion goose bumps.

"What have I done?" Robin asked in a somewhat stiff tone. He seemed to be mesmerized.

"You...will...pay," the old woman repeated, emphasizing each word. She turned and walked back the way she had come, saying nothing more.

John was frowning. "What was all that about?" he asked as he looked from the old woman's retreating back to Tuck and then Will.

Robin shook his head as if waking up from a dream. He knew that, unfortunately, it was no dream. He felt a strange tingling sensation begin to work its way down his spine, ending with a shiver. 'Pay? Pay for what?' he asked himself. 

Nasir didn't say out loud what he was thinking: that something bad was in the making. He shook off an icy feeling. 'Not good,' he thought.

When the outlaws reached their camp, Robin sat down against the tree near where he slept. He idly picked up and threw down twigs as he watched each of his friends come in behind him. They sat down around the campfire, though the flames were long out. Tuck began to remedy that.

Each of them had the same thought. Do they try to ignore the incident with the old woman, or do they talk about it? In the end, no one spoke, preferring to wait and see what Robin wanted to do. It was obvious, though, something like what they had witnessed couldn't really be ignored.

Robin didn't want to talk about anything. He thought about leaving camp to be by himself to think. But, think about what? He had no idea what the old woman was talking about. "There has to be more to it," Robin mused. 

Tuck was trying to coax the small flame he had started into a roaring fire. He looked up from the attempt. "Like what?" he asked, somewhat puzzled. 

Robin hadn't realized he had spoken out loud. "I can't explain it," he replied, just as puzzled. "I just have the feeling there was more to it than maybe her being the relative of a soldier I had killed or of someone that we had robbed like I was thinking on the way back here." He shook his head. "There was something decidedly unnatural about her." Then, his demeanor changed. He gave a mental as well as a physical shrug. He stood up and slapped Much on the shoulder as he walked by the young man. "She's probably just demented. Ignore it."

Dinner was quieter than usual but not awkward. Robin noticed that each of his friends seemed to study him when they thought he wasn't looking. He figured they were trying to decide if he was letting the encounter with the old woman affect him. It had given them the creeps. They could only imagine what _he_ must be feeling.

As usual, Marion sat next to Robin while they are. "Are you all right?" she finally asked, not able to avoid broaching the subject any longer. She tried to keep the concern out of her voice.

"Confused more than anything," Robin answered with a smile. "I don't know whether to be worried or not. I can't shake the feeling she said what she did for a reason." The word foreboding crossed his mind.

"You don't really believe she's demented, do you?" John queried. 

"No, but since there's nothing we can do about it, at the moment at least, let's just forget it. We can deal with it later, if need be." Robin's tone held no obvious concern, so no one questioned him further.

Will thought briefly of forcing the issue then decided against it. Maybe, it would all sort itself out. He didn't trust the old woman, but he dismissed her, because he also didn't think any more would come of the encounter.

Robin was the first to go to sleep. The others finally drifted off one by one. It wasn't long before the dream came. He'd had nightmares before, of course, but nothing like this. 

__

He was walking through what looked like a swampy, mist-laden forest. There was a strange blue light all around that gave the black, twisted trees the look of grotesque, tormented things. Figures darted in and out of the shadowy mist. They were too quick to identify. All he knew was that they were human. At least, he thought _they were human. As chilling as the place was, he had no feeling of malevolency._

Suddenly, he saw Much standing a few yards in front of him. Robin started to say something to him, when he felt his bow and an arrow in his hands. He gradually notched the arrow and raised the bow. He knew what was going to happen. He fought with all his will to lower the bow. His body wouldn't obey his command. His mind screamed 'NO!' Still the bow came up, and he pulled back on the string, feeling every ounce of the tension. He aimed down the arrow's shaft until he saw it pointing directly at Much's heart. Robin couldn't understand why he was doing such an unthinkable thing and why he wasn't able to stop.

In horror, Robin watched as the string seemed to release on its own, and the arrow flew towards Much. 

Robin jerked awake. Sweat poured off of his face, the damp hair on his forehead clung to his skin, and he was trembling. He looked around, expecting to see six pairs of eyes staring at him. Everyone was asleep. He realized the screaming he had heard had been in his own mind.

It was a long time before he lay down again. For the rest of the night, he barely blinked. He tried to figure out what the dream could mean. 

Robin got up quietly and walked into the woods. Why would the dream have him do such a thing? Why Much? Why anyone? The only people he felt no compunction in killing were soldiers or any others who threatened him or his friends. He thought of Much the same way he would have a younger brother. 

He had never really spent much time analyzing dreams. Some people he knew believed every dream had a deep meaning, a few even let dreams rule their lives. Others, like his father, thought they meant nothing. The Earl could never explain to his curious son just where dreams came from or why they existed at all, but he insisted none of them, even nightmares, were to be feared or relied upon. Robin was never sure what to think of them. However, this one was much too intense not to mean something. And, it was much too frightening to be ignored. He thought of the old woman.

It was the middle of the night and very dark, but even so Robin didn't pay much attention to where he was going. His mind was far from his physical location. Over and over he kept saying, out loud, "What does it mean?"

Robin didn't know how long he had been walking, when he suddenly stopped and looked around him. He was back at camp. The sun was just beginning to lighten the eastern sky. He could clearly see his friends, all sleeping peacefully. The banked fire had a little puff of smoke curling into the crisp, morning air. Robin had no idea how he had gotten back. He decided he had probably been so deep in thought, he had simply gone in a large circle. 'Must be it,' he thought.

With resignation, he lay back down. The ground had gotten cold, though he barely noticed. He was still trying to figure out his dream. As much as he wanted to know the meaning behind the whole thing, he was more concerned with the fact it was Much he was trying to kill. He was no closer to figuring it out, when he finally fell asleep with a plea not to have any more nightmares.

* * * * * * * * * * 

Nasir was the first to awaken. He looked toward Robin and saw that his eyes were closed. Whether he was actually asleep or not, the Saracen didn't know. He watched, and it appeared that Robin's breathing was steady. The Saracen nodded, though he didn't believe Robin had slept very much. Next to Robin, he was the most uneasy by the old woman's words. With a sigh, Nasir leaned over and shook Tuck.

The friar stirred and then sat up. Nasir shook his head slightly in Robin's direction. Tuck nodded acknowledgment. Quietly he got up, took the iron cooking pot and carried it to the nearby stream.

While Tuck was gone, Nasir stirred the fire, adding a few of the twigs he had gathered, until the fire came to life. The warmth was welcome. When Tuck returned with the pot a quarter full of water, he set it on the stones surrounding the now crackling flames. He pulled several herbs from his pouch and threw them into the pot. Once the water began to boil, he added the grain he kept in the food sack. He set the leftover bread on the stones at the base of the pot to let it warn.

During this process, John and Much woke up at almost the same instant. Tuck put his finger to his lips before either of them could speak. Tuck pointed to Robin. They understood.

John kicked Will on the foot and got down in his face. "Not a word," he whispered. "Robin's still asleep, and he doesn't need you waking him up."

"Well, I'm not gonna wake him," Will hissed. "Why does every one always think I'm the one that's gonna mess something up?" 

"Because you often do." John replied with more than a little humor in his voice. He grinned at Will and then moved away, standing up and stretching. The big man looked like a huge bear. 

Much watched him do this almost every morning, and each time he expected John to let out a growl. Much turned his head to keep from laughing out loud. However, he couldn't suppress a big grin.

Marion woke up to the smell of Tuck's meatless breakfast stew. She looked down at Robin and was so glad to see that he was sleeping. She had no way of knowing, of course, that he had been up most of the night. Marion leaned down and gave him the lightest of kisses, barely touching his cheek with her lips. "I love you," she whispered softly in his ear. 

By the time she got up, straightened her clothes and combed and rearranged her hair, Tuck handed her a bowl of the steaming stew. "It smells wonderful, Tuck."

"Should we wake Robin?" Much asked.

Tuck shook his head. "Let him sleep a little longer." 

Halfway through the meal, they heard Robin ask. "Don't I get any?"

Tuck filled a bowl and handed it to him along with a chunk of warm bread and a cup of cider. He smiled at Robin, but his eyes searched the fair-haired man's face and saw weariness there. Or was it worry? He decided it might be both.

"So, what are we going to do today?" Will asked. "Work or play?" He rubbed his hands together gleefully as he said the word play. It was an attempt to avoid the subject on everyone's mind. Will wasn't oblivious to the subtleties of what was going on. He just thought a break was in order. He still felt the uneasy feelings the old woman had brought about would go away, especially if they were ignored. Robin had seemingly dismissed the old woman, so he would, too.

"What kind of play do you have in mind?" Robin asked. He silently thanked Will. He really wasn't in the mood to discuss the old woman again. He also didn't want to tell anyone about the dream. Play sounded like the perfect way to drive the undercurrent of foreboding from his mind, for a while at least.

"A contest." Will answered. "We haven't had one in a while. Before you ask, I'll tell you. A hunt."

"What kind of hunt?" Tuck asked. Then he frowned. "I imagine whatever we end up hunting will be something I'll end up cooking." 

"Always," Marion laughed. She also mentally thanked Will, feeling a distraction was definitely in order. 

"All right, Will, tell us the rules of this contest," Robin said, anxious to get started on something that could prove to be a happy event. He found himself looking forward to it. He always cherished the happy times they were able to snatch from the dangerous times in their lives.

"I haven't thought it all out yet," Will admitted with a frown.

"What?" John said, taking a fake swing at Will but ending up barely missing his jaw. "It was _your_ idea." 

A sheepish Will shrugged. "It was just something for us to do. I haven't figured anything out, yet."

"All right. How about this?" Robin said. "Let's divide up into two teams and each go after something in the forest. Each team has to get, let's say, five rabbits. The team that gets them in the shortest time, wins."

"Wins what?" Marion asked.

"A new bow." John piped up. "I need one."

"And who says you'll win?" Will wanted to know. 

"Does everyone on the team get a new bow?" Marion asked. "My bow is fine. I want something else."

"We can each name something we want, within reason, of course, and those on the losing team have to give those on the winning team whatever it is they asked for." Robin thought that was the most fair thing to do.

"There are seven of us," Tuck pointed out. "One team will have four people and the other only three."

"I don't have to be on a team," Robin said. "I'll just enforce the rules."

"No, Robin," Much said. "You have to join us. It won't be any fun if we don't all do it."

"He's right," John agreed. "We all have to go." The big man said it with finality. One look at his stern countenance showed Robin there was no room for argument.

Robin was actually pleased. He wanted to be fair about the teams but at the same time, he really did want to participate. "Next question then. Who goes with who?" Robin asked.

"Stones." Nasir said. When all eyes looked at him in question, he explained. "Three brown stones and four black ones. We each draw one, and we'll have two teams." 

"Good idea, Nasir." Robin said. "Much, will you go get them?"

Much ran toward the stream and bent down near the edge of the water, picking out and carefully counting the little rocks. He ran back and held out his hand for Robin's approval. When Robin nodded, Much smiled. He got a clean, empty bowl and dropped the stones into it. He shook the bowl and held it out toward Robin.

"No looking until we've all chosen," Robin said. He reached into the bowl as Much held it up above his head. Each one in the group took their turn. Nasir pulled out the last stone. They all held their closed hands out in front of them. 

"Let's see." Robin said as he opened his hand, revealing a small brown stone.

"Black," Will announced. 

"Black, also," said John.

Much 's stone was dark but definitely, "Brown."

"Black." It was Tuck.

"My stone is black," Marion told the group, trying not to sound too disappointed that she wasn't on Robin's team.

Nasir didn't have to say anything as he held the last brown stone up between his thumb and forefinger.

"So, it's me, Much and Nasir against the rest of you," Robin laughed. "Sounds about even, I'd say."

"We'll soon see about _that_." Tuck informed his leader indignantly.

"Now, what do we each want?" Much asked eagerly, now that they were getting into the really important part of the game. "John's the only one who's named anything." His face changed to one of frustration as he had to admit, "I don't know what I want."

"A scarf," Marion announced.

"I don't want a scarf," Much protested, looking at Marion with a screwed up expression.

"No, silly. _I_ want a scarf. A dark green one." Marion had a dreamy look on her face as she wrapped the invisible scarf around her neck and pretended to stroke it.

"I need a new cooking pot," Tuck informed the group. "This one's got a rusty handle."

"Will?" Robin asked.

"I want a new leather belt," then he added, "with a silver buckle."

"Good," John said. "I've been afraid that the one you're wearing will break, and your pants will fall down."

Will reached over and hit John on the arm. "I guess our team will just have to win, then, so I don't offend you." 

"I don't know," John mused, "I could use a good laugh."

"Nasir?" Robin asked, ignoring the vicious look Will shot toward his big friend, who was grinning back at him. 

The Saracen shook his head.

"There has to be something you want, and you'll have to tell us. After all, we're going to win this contest." Robin grinned.

"I'll let you know before we leave," Nasir said.

"Much, " Robin said. "Have you thought of something?"

"I really need some wool leggings. Winter's coming, and mine are full of holes." Much looked at Robin. "Now, it's your turn."

Robin's expression changed for just an instant. He would love to say he wanted to go back to the time before the old woman showed up. Since no one could give him that, and bringing it up would spoil the mood of the moment, he gave his friends a broad smile. "I've really got everything I need right here," he said, sweeping his arm wide to encompass all present.

"Oh, no," Marion said. "You can't get away with that. Come on, Robin, there has to be something you want or need."

Robin surveyed the faces all looking intently at him. He knew they were going to make him choose something. He looked around to see if something in camp would give him an idea. He spotted a pile of blankets behind Tuck. "All right. I would like to have a new woolen blanket, good and thick, to put on the cold ground this winter."

Tuck nodded his approval at the practical choice. He was sorry he hadn't thought of it himself.

They all got up and began gathering their weapons. Even during times of relaxation, they had to be prepared for any danger that might show up.

"What are the rules about the rabbits?" Much asked.

Robin thought for a moment. His face brightened. "Each team has to catch five rabbits. We bring them back here---alive. Whoever gets here first with the rabbits, wins," Robin explained. "One more thing: No one person can run ahead with all the rabbits. The whole team has to show up together. Are we all agreed?"

Each one in turn either nodded or said yes.

"John, your team goes west. We'll head east."

"Thank you, Robin. Don't you know all the rabbits are west of here?" The big man laughed as he picked up the well-worm bow he hoped to replace.

Robin's team moved to the east side of the camp. John's team moved over to the opposite side. 

Just before they headed off in their respective directions, Much said, "Nasir, you haven't told us what you want, yet."

Nasir frowned and then said, "No camp chores until the day after the Winter Solstice."

"That's over two months!" Will yelled.

"I know," Nasir replied with a humorously evil grin.

Much nodded. "That's a good one, Nasir."

Will began thinking of the new leather belt he would soon be wearing.

Marion looked at Robin. "_We_ are going to win," she said haughtily.

"Not today, you won't," Robin teased, though he fully planned on collecting that new blanket.

Marion made a face at him and then turned to go. "Come on, we've got rabbits to catch," she urged her teammates.

After Marion, John, Will and Tuck left, Robin led his group of three into the trees behind him.

"There are rabbits near Julie's Leap." Nasir said as they marched in that general direction.

"I know." Robin said, grinning broadly. "In all fairness, though, there are rabbits in Hampton Run as well." It was a place due west of the camp. 

"We'll still win," Much declared with no room for doubt. "I really need those new leggings."

Robin laughed, putting his arm around the young man's shoulders. "Well, Much, I'm sure we'll win, but just in case we don't, I'll get you leggings for your birthday."

"My birthday's not until February. I'll freeze long before then." Much gave an involuntary shiver just thinking about it.

Robin clapped a hand on Nasir's arm. "Well, Nasir, I guess we better win, or we'll have a frozen Much on our hands."

The Saracen declared, "Then, we will win."

Continued --


	2. Chapter Two

SORCERER'S CURSE by White Wolf

Chapter Two

Fifteen minutes later, Nasir held up his hand for silence. He knelt down and looked at the ground. He pointed to the right. 

Robin nodded. "I'll go back and around. Nasir, you go straight in from here. Much, you stay here and be ready in case a rabbit decides to run back this way. Remember that we have to take them alive," Robin whispered.

Much smiled and held up a large piece of cloth he had remembered to bring just before they left camp. He had planned on using it to hold the rabbits, but it would serve just as well to catch them. "I'll get 'em if they come this way."

Robin went back down the path, and Nasir headed into the trees. Much held the cloth out along his arm, ready to throw it over any fast-moving rabbit that Robin or Nasir might flush out. 

A few minutes later, he heard a noise behind him. He turned and saw Robin coming down the trail. Much expected to see him holding a rabbit. What he did see confused him. Robin was notching an arrow in his bow as he approached. Much knew they weren't supposed to kill any of the rabbits. He looked behind him, half expecting to see a soldier or forester, or someone else Robin would draw on. The trail was empty. Robin continued to approach, slowly raising his bow. One look at his face told Much that something was terribly wrong. "Robin, what is it?"

Through clenched teeth, Robin said, "Run, Much. I can't stop this."

Much was frowning. "I don't understand."

Robin was fighting so hard to stop what was happening, his whole body was shaking. Still the arrow came up, and he began to pull back on the string. 

Much's instinct was to get away, but he trusted Robin and knew his friend would never hurt him. Yet, here he was aiming an arrow straight at him. Much stood rooted to the spot. He dropped his arms and let the cloth fall to the ground.

"Much, I can't control it," Robin said in desperation. "You've got to run." 

Still, Much didn't move. "Robin..." he began.

"_RUN_!" Robin screamed.

Just as Robin fired, Much dove to the ground at the edge of the trail. The arrow whizzed over his head and embedded itself in a small tree several feet away. He rolled over and looked back. Robin was putting another arrow in his bow. 

Much struggled to get to his feet. Before he could take a step, Robin came crashing down a few feet away. He looked down at Robin and then back at the trail. Nasir was standing there with a small tree branch in his hand. 

"Nasir." Much was so relieved his knees got weak, and he almost fell back down. He reached out his hand and leaned it against the nearest tree for support. His heart was pounding. He reached up and wiped sweat from his forehead.

Nasir knelt down beside Robin and gently rolled him over on his back. He put his hand behind Robin's head and felt the knot that was rapidly forming behind his left ear. He let his breath out slowly. "What happened?" the Saracen asked.

"I heard something, and when I turned around to see what it was, I saw Robin coming toward me. He was aiming an arrow at me. He said he couldn't stop and for me to run. I didn't at first. He yelled 'run', and I dove just when he fired. Why would he do that? He almost killed me!" 

"We'll have to wait until he wakes up," Nasir said. He didn't reveal to Much that he was as confused as the young man was, though his words indicated he didn't have the answer, either.

It was almost five minutes later before Robin began to stir. He opened his eyes and groaned. When he reached up and rubbed the sore lump on his head, he groaned again. His vision came into focus, and he saw Much staring down at him. Nasir, who had been standing near the trail keeping watch, turned and knelt beside him.

Much couldn't wait for Robin to come fully back to himself. "Why did you try to kill me?" he asked with a mixture of confusion and anger.

"Much, are you all right?" Robin forgot about his sore head. Both his eyes and his voice reflected his genuine concern.

"No thanks to you," Much said angrily. Then, as if ashamed to be talking to Robin like that, said slightly more softly, "Nasir saved me."

"Oh, Much," Robin began. "I can't tell you how sorry I am."

"Can you explain?" Nasir asked calmly.

Robin rubbed his head again. A great sadness settled in his blue eyes. "I had a dream last night that this very thing happened, only then we were in a misty swamp. I woke up before..."

"Before I died?" Much finished, anger again slipping into his tone. He wanted to give Robin a chance to explain, but he couldn't help being upset.

"Yes," Robin admitted. "I tried with all my might to stop it from happening, in my dream and just now. I couldn't make my body obey me. Except for the location, the dream and now are exactly the same." 

"You knew, and you didn't tell me?" Much was growing more upset than confused. "You just came up behind me with a bow and arrow and..." his voice trailed off.

When Robin reached out to put his hand on Much's arm, the young man pulled back so quickly he almost fell over. There was an instant of regret at the move, but at that moment, he couldn't bear for Robin to touch him.

"I guess I can't blame you, Much. I did try to kill you. As for the dream, I had no idea it would really happen. I don't know how or why. I wish I had an answer." Robin looked at Much with infinite sadness. "You won't be able to trust me until we can figure this out and stop it. I won't be able to trust myself."

Nasir stood up and held his hand out. Robin took it and pulled himself to his feet. "We might as well go back. I don't think hunting rabbits right now will be quite the same." He started off down the trail toward camp.

Nasir turned to Much. "Give him time." Then he followed Robin.

Much stood for a minute before picking up the piece of cloth and moving off after them. He didn't know much more now that he had when he saw Robin aiming at him. His mind was in turmoil, the confusion and the anger swirling around until he thought he would get dizzy. Added to that was the fact that he knew in his heart Robin would never willingly hurt him. None of it made any sense.

* * * * * * * * * *

When Robin, Nasir, and Much walked into camp, John and the others were already there. 

Will proudly held up five rabbits, which were squirming in his arms as he held them. There was a huge grin on his face. "Alive, see? We caught all of them together in one place," he declared triumphantly.

John noticed the expression on Robin's face. Nasir and Much had similar looks. They also didn't have a single rabbit with them.

Marion had also noticed. "What's wrong?" she inquired before John could ask the same question.

"I might as well tell all of you," Robin said with an uncharacteristic note of defeat. His eyes were lowered and his shoulders slumped.

They all gathered around, sitting in the same places they had at breakfast. Only this time, the mood was decidedly more somber.

Robin started with the dream and then related everything that had happened on the rabbit hunt. He finished by saying, "I can't explain it. It was as if something had control of me, and I couldn't stop it from happening." He shook his head in total bewilderment.

Robin had looked at Much several times during his narration, but Much had avoided looking back at him. Much wasn't sure exactly why he was still angry. Maybe, until he fully understood what had happened, he couldn't bring himself to forgive Robin. That didn't make sense, either, because he wanted more than anything to give Robin that forgiveness. Robin didn't lie, had never lied to him. But, the vision of his friend firing that arrow at him wouldn't go away. Much was starting to feel dizzy again. 

Robin took Much's refusal to look at him as a sign of his anger and mistrust. He tried to understand how the young man felt. If Robin apologized until the next century came, he couldn't make up for what he had done, or tried to do. 

"What am I supposed to do now?" Much asked. looking from one of his friends to the other. 

"Look there," Will said, pointing toward the trees.

Herne stood silently and motioned for Robin to join him.

"Herne will have the answer," Robin declared with confidence and no small measure of relief. Earlier he had entertained the idea of going to the Lord of the Trees. Now it appeared the forest god wanted to talk to _him_.

"I'll be back..." he paused, because he realized he had no idea when he would return. "whenever," he finished, giving his friends a small smile. 

Only moments after he had disappeared from view, an arrow hit the pile of blankets behind Will, missing his head by mere inches. It had come from the direction of the trail. Another arrow followed, hitting the log near John's leg with a thunk.

"Soldiers!" Will hollered.

"No," Nasir said. He had recognized the arrow as Robin's. No one was listening.

The outlaws scattered. No more arrows were forthcoming, so Nasir made his way into the trees far to the left. He circled around until he was standing a few feet from Robin, who was notching another arrow, as he surveyed the now-empty camp.

"Robin," Nasir called calmly.

Robin swung around and faced Nasir. The Saracen, while fully aware that Robin might well shoot him, didn't flinch. Neither did he draw a weapon.

"Please, Nasir, get away before I kill you. I've told you before, can't control this. My body isn't my own. You saw firsthand what I tried to do to Much." All the while he spoke, Robin was raising his bow. It quivered from the effort Robin was making to stop what he was doing.

When Robin fired, Nasir stepped to the side. The arrow struck a tree several feet behind the Saracen. 

Robin began to notch another arrow. "I won't stop." he warned. "I can't."

A quick glance told Nasir that Robin had almost a full quiver of arrows. Yet, he continued to stand perfectly still. He knew something Robin didn't; John was coming up behind him.

"You won't fire another arrow," Nasir told Robin. His voice was soft, as if trying to soothe a nervous animal.

Just then, John reached around Robin and grabbed him in a bear hug, pinning his arms down by his sides. The bow and arrow dropped harmlessly to the ground. Robin struggled but couldn't escape the iron grasp. He might as well have been encased in a stone wall.

Will ran up and grabbed Robin's tunic and reached back with his fist to hit him.

"Stop it, Will," John yelled. 

"He tried to kill me!" Will yelled back. He reared back to attempt another punch at Robin.

Tuck walked up and with some effort, pulled Will away from Robin. "This won't solve the problem."

"Maybe not, but it'll make me feel a whole lot better." Will pulled out of Tuck's grasp and stood glaring at Robin. His look alone should have withered the young leader.

By now, Marion and Much had joined them. Marion didn't hesitate. She ran to Robin. "Let him go, John."

John hesitated slightly, then reluctantly let go, and Robin went to his knees. Marion steadied him as he turned around and sat down. He sat in front of her, his head in his hands. 

"Why are you helping him?" Will was ranting. "He tried to kill you, too." Unlike Much, he wasn't torn in his feelings. He was furious through and through.

"Will," Marion said, "please don't. He can't help it. Try, for once, to understand."

When Will looked at Tuck, the friar shook his head. It was a gesture of warning.

"Ahhh," Will said. He turned and looked at Much. "Now I know how you feel."

Marion reached over and put her hand on the side of Robin's face, lifting it so that he looked her straight in the eye. "Are you all right?"

"No," he replied helplessly. 

"Let's go back to camp," Tuck suggested. "We can talk better there."

"Talk?" Will yelled. "What do we need to talk about?"

"Well, what do you suggest?" John asked. "Do you want us to just stand here and stare at each other?" 

Will had no answer, but talking didn't seem to be the thing to do. Their own leader had just tried to kill them all and might have succeeded, at least in part, if Nasir and John hadn't stopped him. Now, they all wanted to talk. Ridiculous was the first word that came to mind. He was too angry to stop and think of what else there was to do.

John then pulled Robin to his feet. Then to make a point, he handed Will a knife. "Go ahead. There's his heart." John said, pointing to Robin's chest. "End it here and now." Robin looked as if he almost welcomed it. The move had the desired effect.

Will, suddenly ashamed and red-faced, turned away.

Robin turned and helped Marion up. She put her arm around his waist, and the two of them started down the trail. As Robin walked by Nasir, he nodded his gratitude. At the same time, he handed the Saracen his knife and kept walking.

When John passed by Tuck, he looked down at him with a questioning expression. The portly friar just shrugged. He had no answers, either.

Nasir picked up Robin's bow and arrows and followed the others.

When the group got back to camp, Nasir, who had taken a side trail, was already there. He had prudently removed the arrows that Robin had fired into the camp and put them in Robin's quiver, which he hid under some nearby bushes. The bow he had leaned against a tree out of sight. Calm heads needed to prevail, and seeing the arrows and the bow would most likely set Will off again, not that he needed much to encourage him.

When they were all seated, John asked, "Do you know what happened?"

Robin took a deep breath. "I remember exactly. I was walking down the trail, and suddenly I had an overpowering feeling that I had to come back and kill all of you."

"Oh, that's great, that is," Will seethed. "You wanted to kill us all, your friends, even the woman you say you love."

"It's not me, Will. I keep telling you that. Even being aware of what I'm doing, I can't stop myself," Robin insisted.

"What about Herne?" Marion asked, remembering that Robin had left to talk to the forest god.

"No one was there," Robin said. "It was a trick. I don't think Herne was ever there. He would never call me and then just vanish. I think it was a way for me to catch all of you off guard. Someone else is controlling what's happening here."

"All right. Someone wants us all dead," Tuck said logically. "Now, all we have to do is figure out who it is and how they're doing it."

"It's a spell of some sort," John deduced. "Do you think the Sheriff has gotten a witch to do his dirty work?"

"The Sheriff or Gisburne or both," Tuck offered.

"It could be someone we know nothing about," Robin said. "Or..."

Everyone looked at him expectantly. 

Marion's eyes lit up. "Gulnar." She spoke his name with contempt.

"He's dead," John reminded the group. "Killed by his own creation, that man of clay he made to look like you, Robin. Remember?"

"How could I forget," Robin said, remembering the battle the two had fought at the Ring of the Nine Maidens. It had been so weird fighting his identical twin. He gave an involuntary shiver. "I _know_ he's dead."

"Maybe he is but maybe Gulnar isn't," Tuck said. "He supposedly died at Cromm Cruac, too, but we found out the hard way he didn't."

"Tuck's right. Gulnar's a definite possibility," Robin agreed. The more he thought about it, the more certain he became. It had to be the hated sorcerer. "We have to find a way to expose him."

"Well, what do we do with you in the meantime so you don't kill all of us in our sleep?" Will asked angrily. He was still finding it hard to overcome his feelings. He had come to believe that Robin was right, but he wasn't willing to trust his leader just yet.

"Tie me up and guard me," Robin told Will. "Believe it or not, Will, I don't want to kill you. If it'll make you feel safer, you can sit with a knife at my throat all night." There was no humor in those words.

Will stared at Robin, half expecting him to start laughing. The expression on Robin's face reflected the seriousness of his statement. "I'll do whatever all of you decide." 

Robin knew Will very well. He honestly didn't doubt that Will wanted to do just that. Will confirmed this when he said, "I'll be glad to keep a watch on him." He prudently refrained from mentioning the knife part. 

"You'll enjoy it, too, won't you?" Marion said angrily.

Will's face got red. "Well, someone's got to do it, or he could murder us all in our sleep."

"If you're so afraid, leave." Marion had too much anger of her own to try to reason with Will. 

The two glared at each other.

Much stepped in between them. "I was angry, too, when Robin tried to kill me. But, you know we always look out for each other. When one of us needs help, we work together to help that person." 

Marion smiled warmly at Much and then looked at Will. "Decide, Will, where you stand, because the rest of us are going to solve this and help Robin. We won't let you interfere." She was a woman protecting her man. Very dangerous, indeed.

For several minutes, Will didn't speak. He mulled over what both Marion and Much had said. It was to Robin he spoke. "I let my hot head get the best of me--again. Being shot at tends to make me crazy. I'm sorry." He shook Robin's offered hand. A look of total understanding passed between the two friends. 

"I knew you'd come around." Robin smiled. "Arguments to the side, I can always count on you in a pinch."

"I'm glad you're so sure of that. For a while, I wasn't," Will admitted with a touch of shame. He lowered his eyes.

"Are we even then?" Robin asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Well, almost."

Robin's expression grew serious again. "We still have to do something with me, for tonight at least." He snapped his fingers. "Tuck, you have a sleeping draught, don't you?"

"You want me to give it to you?" Tuck asked.

"I think it would be a whole lot safer for everyone. I won't take any chances with your lives."

"Are you sure you want to be put to sleep?" John asked.

Robin nodded. "No reason anyone should lose any sleep. I sure won't," he added with a touch of humor.

"Now, that we've settled that, what are we going to do to find out if Gulnar is alive and involved in all this, or, if he isn't, who is?" John waned to know. 

"I believe he is, so first, we find the old woman," Robin said. "Unless Gulnar conjured her up out of a pile of mud and then threw her in the lake to dissolve, she's around here somewhere, and we'll track her down." He said it with such confidence that no one doubted that was exactly how it would come about. This was the way it was supposed to be, with Robin in complete control and having a plan of action.

"Then what?" Tuck asked. "If, or should I say when, we find her, if she's working for Gulnar, she's not going to just tell us what we want to know."

"Maybe she will," Robin decided, his face brightening. "Gulnar's not one to hide his little plans. He wants me to know it's him. He wants me to kill all of you, then when I'm so distraught over it, he'd reveal his role in all of it. I don't know if he wants the privilege of killing me or not. The more I think about it, the more I think he wants me to end up killing myself, in his presence and at his urging, I don't doubt."

Marion nodded her agreement with Robin's reasoning. "It all makes such perfect sense."

Robin knew there was an outside chance someone else was behind all this, but deep down, he really believed it was Gulnar. The sorcerer didn't care about Marion or John or any of the others. They were just pawns. Having Robin kill his friends and the woman he loves would cause the outlaw leader anguish like none other. Then, he would be driven to take his own life. So perfect. So Gulnar.

Dinner that evening consisted of the rabbits John's team had caught earlier, the last of the bread they had gotten in Wickham on their last visit there, and the usual ale. Everyone was tired after the traumatic day they had just gone through, so conversation was minimal. 

Much handed out the blankets for each person. Nasir banked the fire for the night.

Robin sat and watched as the others went to their blankets. He had a bemused look as they each settled down. Finally, he said, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"What?" John asked as he propped himself up on one elbow.

"Me."

Tuck sat straight up. "The sleeping draught. I did forget." He got up and went rummaging around in his pouch to find it. He located the little bottle, poured a bit of it into a cup and added water from a goat skin. 

When Will and Much had finally come to terms with their feelings and forgiven Robin and the decision was made to go after the old woman and then Gulnar, it was as if all was settled. They forgot the spell still had hold of Robin. He could turn violent at any moment. There didn't seem to be any kind of special trigger. If it was more a case of opportunity, then a sleeping camp would have been tempting enough to trigger an attack.

Tuck handed Robin the cup, and he drank all of the contents. It wasn't pleasant but it wasn't unbearable, either. 

"How long before I fall asleep?" Robin wanted to know.

"Lie down and relax," Tuck told him. "It works pretty fast."

Robin lay back on his blanket, took several deep breaths and was asleep in minutes. 

Much frowned. "It doesn't seem right to give Robin something like that. It's like we poisoned him."

"Much," Tuck said. "It's perfectly safe. I've used it myself a time or two. Besides, he wants it this way. It's not just for our protection; it's also for his peace of mind."

"I know. But, it still doesn't seem right to me." Much couldn't have explained his misgiving even if he tried. He wasn't sure himself why he felt that way. No one else seemed uneasy, so he tried to ignore the feeling.

"How long will it last?" John asked Tuck.

"I gave him enough to last all night," Tuck informed the big man. "He should sleep past sunrise."

Robin was the only one who didn't wake up during the night. Each of the others felt safe enough---sort of. If Gulnar's spell could make someone like Robin try to kill his friends, it could probably give him the strength to overcome the sleeping draught. So, all night they each one checked on him. Robin slept soundly. 

Coninued --


	3. Chapter Three

SORCERER'S CURSE by White Wolf

Chapter Three

The next morning, Tuck was the first one to get up. He had been awake since shortly before the eastern sky began to offer the promise of another beautiful day. He had hoped to catch a few more winks but couldn't. With a great sigh, he forced himself up. 

As he had done during the night, he glanced at Robin, who was still sleeping. Something nagged at the friar. He couldn't manage to get a grasp on it. But, there was definitely something not quite right. Nothing seemed amiss, so after a moment's pause, Tuck shook his head and continued with his regular morning ritual.

As each of the others awoke, they also couldn't resist the urge to check on Robin. They each found him asleep just as the one before had. 

Much was the last to get up. He looked at Robin and frowned. He went over and knelt down beside his sleeping leader. The misgiving he had the night before was nothing compared to the way he felt now. "Something's wrong."

Tuck shivered as if a cold shadow had brushed by him. Much had just confirmed his own feeling that something was off. "What is it?" he asked with more than a little dread.

"He hasn't moved," Much said. "Not a single bit. People move around even in a deep sleep, don't they? He hasn't."

Much was right. Tuck saw it now. That was what was amiss that he hadn't been able to pin down. The friar went over to Robin, reached over and put his hand on Robin's forehead. He felt cool to the touch, no not cool; he was cold. Tuck's heart skipped a beat. He thought Robin was dead.

By now everyone was gathered around. They had all heard the exchange between Tuck and Much, but they still didn't comprehend the significance of it. 

"Tuck, what's going on?" Marion asked, beginning to get worried. She, too, felt of Robin's forehead. "He's cold," she stated, knowing it wasn't because of the cool morning air. Now, she was truly frightened. She quickly put her head down on Robin's chest. "His heart is beating, but I can barely hear it."

Tuck almost swooned from relief, though the worried look never left his face.

John called Robin's name and shook him but got no response. He looked at Tuck.

"I don't know," Tuck said helplessly. "I know I didn't give him too much," he continued, referring to the sleeping draught. "I measured it just right. I'm always very careful about things like that."

"Could you have given him the wrong thing?" Will asked.

"No," Tuck replied emphatically. "I know what I gave him, and I know how much I gave him." He understood their doubts, but he was adamant that he hadn't made a mistake.

Marion looked up at the friar. "No one is accusing you, Tuck. We're just trying to figure out what happened." She shot Will a warning look.

"We must figure out what to do for Robin," Nasir said as he realized arguing over whether or not Tuck was responsible wasn't going to get them anywhere.

"Tuck, is there something you can give him to wake him up?" John asked, then turned a stern look on Will before he could say anything about Tuck being the one who gave him the sleeping draught in the first place. 

Will was about to make that very statement. He shut his mouth and clamped his lips together.

Tuck shook his head. "No," he had to admit.

Much, who hadn't taken his eyes off of Robin said, "Gulnar did this."

"How can you know that?" Will asked dismissively, unable to keep his mouth shut for long. 

"I just do. I can't explain it. Gulnar knows Robin didn't kill us." Much spoke as if he had just finished discussing the whole situation with the sorcerer. "He won't kill Robin, but he will make him pay." Much looked up as a thought dawned on him. "Just like the old woman said."

"You can't know that, either," Will protested. "That's daft."

"You don't have to believe me. I know it's true." Much would have given anything to be wrong.

"We believe you, Much," Marion defended the young man as she glared at Will. "So, Robin will be all right?"

"I don't know," Much told her. "I only know Gulnar won't kill him. He has something else in mind. Maybe, it's like Robin said; Gulnar wants him to kill himself."

Marion studied Much's distraught face. "There's something else, isn't there?" 

"Robin won't wake up. Not until Gulnar is ready for him to." Much was on the edge of tears.

Marion's heart began pounding as she listened to Much's words. She was convinced that every word he said was true. A quick glance at the others told her they also believed Much's words. 

Six helpless people looked down at their young leader. What now? Wait for Gulnar to make the next move? What else was there for them to do? What could they do for Robin? Nothing but questions plagued their minds. No answers came with them.

Marion laid her head down on Robin's chest. He was so cold she had to remind herself that he wasn't dead. She could barely detect his breathing. She put her hand on the side of his neck, so she could feel his pulse. It was weak but steady.

"Are we going to just sit here and do nothing?" Will asked, jumping up and swinging his arms. It was clear he now believed what Much had said.

"We're open to suggestions," John replied. 

"Why can't we go after the old woman like we planned to do? Or, we could go after Gulnar himself." Will said it triumphantly, as if saying it would make it easy to accomplish. 

"What do you plan to do with Robin?" Tuck wanted to know, "Let him just lay here until we get back and set him free?" Tuck spoke with uncharacteristic sarcasm.

"What would Robin do?" Much asked.

"The same thing I just said," Will answered quickly. "Last night Robin said we'd go find that old woman. It seems to be even more urgent now."

"That was before this happened," John said as he nodded toward Robin. "We can't do it without him."

"Why not?" Tuck asked. "Robin's always doing something for us. Why can't we do something for him?" It made perfect sense to the friar. Having Robin with them would certainly make their plan easier to carry out. Robin was always two steps ahead of most people when it came to using his head. But, the rest of them were fully capable of accomplishing this mission. At least, he hoped so. He was willing to give it a try. 

"I'll go," Much said. "I'll do anything to help Robin."

"So will I," John said. "Naz?" 

The Saracen nodded.

Marion had a vague feeling that her friends were discussing something important she should be a part of, something to do with Robin. Yet, all she could think of was being close to him, trying in vain to warm his cold body.

"Marion will stay with Robin," John said. He glanced over at her. "I don't think she'd leave him even if we wanted her to."

"Aye, that was an easy decision," Tuck laughed, though there was no humor in the sound. "Now, we have to make a serious plan, one that will give us the best chance to succeed."

After a lengthy discussion, Tuck walked over to Marion. He reached down and touched her on the shoulder. "Marion, we need to talk to you a moment."

Marion reluctantly got up and followed Tuck. She looked at each one of the faces around the campfire. She wasn't sure what it was she read there. She soon found out.

"We've decided to go looking for the old woman." John began. "She's the key to finding Gulnar and reversing whatever he's done. We want you to stay here and look after Robin," he concluded.

"Of course, I will. I couldn't leave him even if I don't know what to do for him." Marion smiled and offered encouragement and a word of caution. "You must all be careful. When Robin wakes up, he'll be very unhappy if something has happened to any of you." 

"Don't worry, nothing's going to happen to anyone but that madman, Gulnar, and maybe that old woman," Will assured her. 

"How will you find the old woman?" Marion asked.

"We'll go to Wickham and see if Edward knows her," Tuck said logically. "If he does, we can track her from there, we hope."

"We'll get her," John said. He wasn't sure if he felt as confident as he sounded, but anything less than total commitment could prove fatal. Gulnar wasn't someone to trifle with. John knew they would need all of their resolve.

* * * * * * * * * * 

Edward saw the outlaws coming toward him. He smiled and greeted them before he realized Robin wasn't with them. "Robin didn't come with you," he stated.

"No," John told him. "Can we go somewhere, so we won't be overheard?" It was impossible to know who to trust, although, John didn't really believe there was anyone in Wickham that would betray them to Gulnar. Still, it would be prudent not to take any chances. The sorcerer could have bewitched one of them to use to betray the outlaws. There was too much at stake to be too trusting at this point. It never occurred to him that Edward might have been turned into a spy.

Edward was frowning as he led them to the edge of a vegetable garden. There was no way anyone could get close enough to hear them without being seen.

John began telling Edward what had happened and what they planned to do about it. Several times during the narration, one or another of the outlaws would add a comment. "So, we need to know anything you can tell us about the old woman," John finished.

"From the description you've given, I don't recognize her." Edward said apologetically.

"We're convinced Gulnar's behind what's happened to Robin." John looked at Edward. "Will you look in on Marion for us and make sure she's all right?"

"I can get a wagon and bring Robin here," Edward offered. "We can look after both of them."

John shook his head. "It's too risky. The Sheriff or Gisburne might show up. We don't want to put any of you in danger."

"It also wouldn't do much good to save Robin from Gulnar and then have him captured by the Sheriff," Tuck reasoned. "But, thank you, Edward, for offering."

John led the outlaws away from Wickham. "I guess the only thing to do now is go in the direction the old woman headed in when she left us." 

"East," Nasir said.

It was a long shot, and Will was beginning to get the feeling that things were going to be more difficult than they believed, and that was bad enough. There was only an outside chance they were heading the right way. However, they had to start somewhere, and there didn't seem to be anything else to do. 

When they reached the outskirts of the village of Pemberton, John held up his hand. "Come on," John said. "Someone here may know something." He led the way into the village. 

A crowd began to gather around them. Simon, Edward's counterpart in Pemberton, approached them. 

John decided to tell Simon only as much as he needed to in order to get the information they sought. "We think Gulnar is behind a trick that's been played on Robin. We need to find him. Do you know an old woman, so high?" John held his hand in front of his stomach. "She has long gray hair worn loose. Two days ago she was wearing an old, worn blue dress with a yellow shawl."

"I know her," Simon answered warily. "What has she got to do with Gulnar?"

"That's what we hope to find out." John answered. "Does she live here?"

"No. Some say she's a witch. Most think she's just mad." Simon began to think maybe the old woman really was a witch, especially if she was connected with Gulnar. Simon became a little more cooperative. "Folks call her Old Bett. She lives in an old wreck of a house in Bridgeton Wood."

"How do we find her?" John inquired.

"You'll find her house on the western side of the Wood, near the Priory Road. What do you plan to do with her?" 

"That depends on her," Will answered. His tone said he had his own ideas of what he wanted done with her. "But, you don't have to worry about it."

John gave Will a warning look. He turned to the town leader. "Thank you, Simon. We'll find it."

Simon smiled at every one but Will. He never really liked him anyway. He was too much of a firebrand, speaking his mind regardless of who it offended.

"That was easier than I dared think it would be," Tuck said. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Nasir passed the friar to take the lead. Being an excellent tracker, he could, hopefully, find Old Bett's house quickly. He also wanted to be able to scan the trail for any sign of trouble before they walked into it.

John had the feeling something very unpleasant waited for them all, and he wasn't so sure they would be able to get out of it in one piece. But, the thought of Robin lying so still and cold and unable to be awakened renewed his determination to find Old Bett, then find Gulnar and free Robin. At least, that was the plan. How it would play out was anyone's guess.

Will was feeling the same trepidation. His eyes darted from one side of the road to the other. He was half expecting Gulnar or some kind of devil to jump out at them. In a way, that was preferable. Not knowing what was going to happen was far worse on the nerves. He wanted to know exactly where he stood and what he would be required to do to get the job done.

When Nasir said, "We're close," Much jumped, so intent was he on searching the woods nearest them. He immediately felt embarrassed. How was he going to acquit himself well, if he jumped at the words of a friend?

Tuck smiled sympathetically. "We're all a little jumpy. We just have to keep in mind why we're here." No one noticed that he was clutching his crucifix tightly.

Much nodded. They were there to save Robin. He knew better than any of them what was at stake. He had been the one to tell them about Robin's condition. He had told them it was up to Gulnar to wake Robin. That was true as far as it went. What he hadn't told them was that Robin might never wake up. That may have been the sorcerer's plan all along. As sure as Much was of the other facts, that was the one he wasn't certain of, which was why he hadn't said anything about it. Why worry them needlessly? He was worrying enough for all of them. Yet, if his very life depended on it, he couldn't have explained how he knew any of it.

"This way," Nasir said as he turned left and entered the trees along a narrow and little-used path. He moved with purpose, picking his way as he carefully studied the trail and the nearby underbrush.

The path wound all around, sometimes crossing over itself. Nasir was able to sort it out after a while. He bypassed several of these criss-crosses and only once got off on the wrong trail. He quickly reversed himself and continued on.

In less than fifteen minutes, Nasir stopped at the edge of a clearing. In the center sat a ramshackled little house. It looked abandoned, but Nasir had no doubt that this was the home of the old woman they sought. 

"It looks just like I expected it would," Tuck said. He refrained from saying it gave him the shivers. Looking around at the others told him they all felt the same way. 

When confronting Robin, Old Bett had seemed like just a bitter old woman intent on inflicting emotional pain. This place reeked of an evil that was almost palpable. John also noticed there were no animal sounds nearby. It all set his teeth on edge. 

"Do we go straight in?" Much asked.

"Yeah," Will said. "Let's get her."

"Wait. We have to be careful," John cautioned.

Will frowned at his big friend. "What good is that going to do? She probably already knows we're here. Waiting will only give her more time to prepare."

"She's prepared. You can count on it," Nasir said with assurance. He drew both of his swords and started forward. The others drew their own weapons and followed him.

Just as they reached the front door, it opened. It wasn't Old Bett that was standing there facing them. It was Gulnar. "Welcome. I've been waiting for you." He stepped aside and swept his left arm toward the inside of the house as an invitation for them to enter.

John, closest to the door, hesitated but then decided that inside or outside, Gulnar was in control and could overpower them any time he wished. They couldn't get away if they tried. He boldly walked in.

When everyone was inside, Gulnar turned and smiled at them. "I'm sure you were expecting to find Old Bett. She isn't home at the moment. Besides, all you wanted from her was to find me. Here I am," he said, spreading his arms wide. The cold glint in his eyes betrayed the smile on his face.

Will, not wanting to waste time, said, "What have you done to Robin?" 

"It will be my pleasure to explain it to you," Gulnar said with an even broader smile. "Robin has caused me a great deal of trouble. I want him to pay for it."

"You're mad," John couldn't resist saying.

Gulnar laughed. "So I've been told. It's the curse of those who command special powers. I use those powers to get what I want. Wouldn't you in my place?" 

"How?" John asked simply. He was sure he wasn't going to like the answer. He was also sure it would be the truth. The sorcerer was too anxious to let them know what he had done.

"I originally planned to have Robin kill all of you and then kill himself," Gulnar began.

"Robin figured that out already and kept himself from doing it, even though he couldn't stop the attempt." Tuck felt the need to inform Gulnar how hard it was to manipulate Robin.

"Yes," Gulnar continued. "I must admit I underestimated Robin's affection for all of you." H e made a face like someone who had just bitten into a bitter apple. "Then I realized that if Robin killed himself, his suffering would end too quickly. I want him to suffer a long, long time."

"How did you do it?" Tuck inquired of the sorcerer.

"Old Bett. She 'does things' for me from time to time. She's a witch, though a minor one. But, with my help, she cast the spell on Robin when she looked into his eyes and touched him." A prideful grin crossed Gulnar's face. He was clearly enjoying this.

John fought the urge to give in to the rising fury he felt. He took a deep breath to steady himself, and in a calm voice, he asked, "What's your plan?" 

"Robin will wake up soon after you get back to him. He'll continue to look like he's asleep, but he'll hear and be aware of everything that goes on around him. No matter how hard he tries, he'll be unable to communicate in any way." 

No one spoke. Gulnar knew they believed him, but he also knew they weren't going to give him the satisfaction of telling him that.

The sorcerer smiled and continued. "Can you think of a more fitting revenge?" Gulnar laughed. "He's cold, too, isn't he? Just an added bit of discomfort. He'll be constantly cold, and nothing will warm him up. " Gulnar couldn't help but gloat. "He'll be screaming in his mind to get out, but he can't. He'll suffer like that for years. Just think of it. It's so perfect." Gulnar laughed again, loud and long.

John closed his eyes and shook his head. It was far worse than he could have imagined in his most dreadful nightmare. Thinking of Robin suffering in that condition was too horrible to think about.

"He'll die without food and water," Tuck pointed out logically, thinking for a brief moment that he was pointing something out that the sorcerer hadn't thought of. 

"Not under this spell," Gulnar replied, dashing Tuck's hopes. "It suspends everything but the mind. He won't be able to sleep, either. He'll be forever awake. What do you think?" Gulnar asked, obviously overjoyed with the brilliance of his plan.

Will raised both hands and lunged for Gulnar's neck. John grabbed him and pulled him back before he could touch the sorcerer. John held on tight to his friend, who struggled to get free.

"Don't worry, I won't turn him into a pig, though I'd like to. I want every one of you to think of Robin spending the rest of eternity trapped in his own body, never able to get a moment of relief. And, an added benefit is: he'll also suffer knowing each of you is suffering, too, because you can't help him. And, even after you all die off, one by one, he'll go on that way. Beautiful, isn't it?"

"What do you want from us?" Much asked from the edge of the circle. He was willing to give anything, even his own life, to save Robin. So, he risked the sorcerer's wrath and boldly moved forward.

"Why, nothing," Gulnar said surprised. "None of you have anything I need or want. Even if you did, it couldn't possibly be worth Robin's punishment. He's suffering and out of my way for good. I'll have my final revenge."

The outlaws were crestfallen.

Gulnar looked at the sad little group. "I'll let you go, if you leave now," he hissed.

There didn't seem to be anything else to say. There was no chance to make a bargain with the sorcerer. He had made that perfectly clear. Their mission had been a failure. Finding Gulnar had not helped Robin at all. The only thing it had accomplished was to make them feel a whole lot worse about the situation.

Gulnar waved a hand toward the door. "The offer will not last long. Go!" The smile had quickly turned to an angry scowl.

The outlaws turned and walked out of the little house. The misery that permeated the group was oppressive.

"One final thing," Gulnar called after them. "Herne can't help,"

The five men trudged along, putting one foot in front of the other. It was a chore; their devastated minds making their legs feel like lead. 

Finally, when they left the woods and were back on the road, Much said, "He can't be right about Herne. It was Herne who saved Robin when he was dying from that poisoned arrow. He can save him now, can't he? Gulnar just said that to upset us more. Right?"

"I don't know, Much" Tuck said sadly. "I just don't know."

"After we go check on Robin and Marion, we'll find Herne," John said. "I refuse to believe he can't do anything." He felt as adamant about Herne's ability to help Robin as Much did.

Nasir was the first to start toward their camp. He had been tortured as a young man in his homeland. He knew the agony of physical pain. But, he couldn't begin to imagine the kind of torture Robin would be forced to go through under the sorcerer's curse. Nasir tried to shake the feeling of helplessness that flooded through him. 

Much was feeling the same sense of helplessness. It was as if someone had told him Robin was about to die, and no one could stop it. He may be physically there, but everything that made him Robin would be gone. Much continued to stumble along behind the others. 

John, Will and Tuck were totally defeated. There was no other word for it. They had set out with high hopes of finding Gulnar and reversing his spell. They failed. Failure spelled defeat. Defeat meant they couldn't save Robin from the hell he was destined to endure. Herne was Robin's only chance.

Marion heard someone coming through the trees. She looked toward the sound and jumped up happily when she saw it was her friends. A second later, her face fell when she saw their expressions. They didn't have the answer. "You didn't find the old woman," she stated before any of them could speak.

"We found Gulnar himself," John informed her.

"For all the good _that_ did," Will added bitterly. He forced himself not to look at Robin. He couldn't bear it right now. He stomped over to a log and slumped down on it. 

John continued. "He's the one behind this just like Robin thought. He got that old woman to cast one of his spells on Robin. We tried to bargain with him, but he said this plan of his was worth more to him than anything we could give him."

"What plan?" Marion asked. She was even more puzzled when John motioned her to the other side of the campfire, away from where Robin lay. He wasn't sure if Robin was now awake, as Gulnar had promised.

"He told us that Robin would wake up---inside." 

Marion turned a questioning look up at John. What on earth was he talking about? "Inside?" she questioned.

"That devil said Robin will be able to hear everything we say. He'll know what's going on around him. You know he can't move or communicate in any way. Gulnar says he'll remain that way for..." John had to stop and clear his throat before he could make the next statement. "For eternity. And, he'll always be cold, never able to warm up or to sleep."

Marion stood horrified. Her own mind was reeling. She couldn't possibly have heard John right. As the full horror of it hit her, she felt faint. John grabbed her and eased her into a sitting position on the ground. "It can't be true, John," she whispered. "It can't be true." When her mind finally grasped the meaning of John's words, she began to sob uncontrollably.

Much was sitting down near the fire, his head in his hands. He had shut the world out and was lost in his own misery.

Will thought back to the time they spent in Cromm Cruac. He shook his head to clear the thought. The only good thing that came out of _that _experience was that the devil that almost took their lives was destroyed for all time just before he was able to destroy them. Gulnar fell into the flaming pool and should have died. Then, after the fiasco with Fenris, the sorcerer's man-beast creation had turned on its master. Gulnar should have died then, too. Now, it was time to send the sorcerer to Hell. 

Tuck started to say something to John, when he said, "Look."

They all turned to see Herne standing at the edge of the trees. 

Continued -- 


	4. Chapter Four

SORCERER'S CURSE by White Wolf

Chapter Four

The look on Herne's face was grave. He was staring at Robin. Herne walked straight toward his son. He didn't glance at anyone else. In fact, he acted like they weren't even there. 

Herne approached Robin and bent down next to him. He reached out and put his hand on Robin's chest. "My son," he said. "I knew something was wrong. Your spirit was hidden from me." Barely above a whisper, he uttered a few words that none of the others could make out. 

John had never seen Herne like this. He looked and sounded like any father who finds his son in trouble.

Will, for his part, fully expected that after Herne uttered those few words, he would help Robin to his feet. It wasn't happening, and Will couldn't understand why not. He came very close to coming out and demanding an explanation. 

"I cannot break Gulnar's spell," the Lord of the Trees said, though his eyes never left Robin. 

Much was bewildered. How could Herne not break the spell? He was a god, wasn't he? "Why?" he found himself asking the forest god.

"I cannot explain to you the workings of the Powers of Light and Darkness. For now, Gulnar has the upper hand, but it does not have to remain so. I will tell you what you must do."

Much still didn't understand. None of the others really did, either. They were certainly willing to listen to what Herne had to say. 

"Tell us, and we'll do it," John said.

"You must offer Gulnar something he wants even more than he wants revenge against Robin."

"We already figured that out," Will said impatiently, then immediately regretted it, when Herne turned a withering gaze on him. Will almost looked around to see if there was a hole nearby large enough for him to fall into. "Sorry," he said, barely above a whisper.

"Gulnar already told us there's nothing he wants more than what he's doing to Robin," Tuck told Herne.

The Lord of the Trees looked evenly at the friar. "There is one thing."

Nasir gave a knowing nod. He knew exactly what Herne was referring to.

"You know," Herne said to the Saracen.

"The Silver Arrow."

"Of course," John said, snapping his fingers. "Gulnar would give anything for it." The big man frowned. "Surely, you won't let him have it?"

Herne didn't answer the question directly. Instead, he said, "He must free Robin, then he'll pay for what he's done." 

Marion had never heard Herne speak with such anger. For the first time, she truly believed that Robin not just could be, but would be, saved. 

Herne told them what they needed to do. He looked over at Robin. "He was not awake, yet. Now, he won't be until Gulnar comes. Robin won't suffer." With that a mist formed around Herne, and he vanished.

Marion looked down at Robin and was infinitely grateful that for the time being, he was at peace. 

John, who smiled and nodded, felt a great relief sweep over him. They were far from succeeding, but with Herne helping them, he believed they would soon get the upper hand on that madman. He didn't allow himself to even consider the possibility that if it all went wrong, not only would Robin remain a captive but Gulnar would have the Silver Arrow. That, too, was a prospect too terrible to contemplate. 

"So, who goes to tell Gulnar?" Tuck asked.

"Me," Will volunteered eagerly.

"No, it has to be someone Gulnar would believe," John told Will, who stared at him.

"Why wouldn't he believe me?" Will demanded. "I can be convincing."

"You can be a hothead, too," John reminded him. "One word to goad you, and you'd be off on him, get yourself killed, and Robin would still be trapped. We need someone who can beg without raising suspicion."

"That would be me," Marion said. Before anyone could object, she added, "Don't you dare say I can't do it because I'm a woman." Her tone was pure defiance.

"You know we think of you as an equal," John began. He got no further. 

"Gulnar would believe me because he knows I love Robin, and it is perfectly natural that I would go to him and beg for Robin's release. A broken-hearted woman will offer anything to free the man she loves. Right? She would even offer the Silver Arrow." Marion had a triumphant look on her face. She was proud of her logical proposal. Even more important, she believed in it.

Tuck raised his eyebrows at John. "She's right." He couldn't argue with her reasoning. "She's the best one to pull this off."

"I know," John admitted reluctantly.

* * * * * * * * * *

An hour later, John said to Marion, "You have it all straight?"

"Yes, I know what I must do." She held the hand of each of her friends. "Be careful yourselves. I think I have the easiest part in all this."

"We'll be all right," Much assured her as she took his hand. "You be careful. Robin will never forgive us if anything happens to you." He spoke with the confidence of someone sure of success. Herne had completely turned his thinking around.

Marion smiled and turned to go. 

Nasir accompanied her to the edge of Brighton Wood. They had given Pemberton a wide berth, not wanting to be delayed by small talk if they met someone from the village. 

Nasir stopped short of entering the forest, afraid Gulnar might read into his presence something more than him just being an escort. They couldn't afford any mistakes at this point. 

"You must go now and join the others," Marion told him. "I can make it from here."

The Saracen stood and watched as she disappeared into Brighton Wood. He turned and headed back the way they had come.

Nasir had told Marion how to negotiate the twisting trail to Old Bett's house. It didn't seem too difficult when he explained it, but now she saw how confusing it really was. She took several wrong turns and got lost. She stood, debating which way to go next, when she heard a voice to her left.

"It's this way," came an all too familiar, grating voice When Marion looked at Gulnar, he had a smirk on his face. 

"You've come to beg for Robin's freedom," he told her condescendingly.

"No, not exactly. I don't think that would do any good. You have no capacity for sympathy," she told him frankly.

"So, why are you here?"

"To offer you something you want more than revenge against Robin."

"There's nothing I want that much," the sorcerer told her. He couldn't imagine what she had in mind, but she had come all this way, so she evidently believed it was important. He was willing to listen. It might prove amusing.

Marion steeled herself and looked at Gulnar evenly and, she hoped, bravely. It wasn't the way she felt inside. "The Silver Arrow," she stated flatly. 

"The Silver Arrow," he repeated, trying hard not to betray his excitement. But, the glow in his eyes did betray him. 

Marion had been watching closely for Gulnar's reaction, and when she saw his eyes light up, she told herself happily, 'We've got him.'

With disdain, Gulnar said, "You expect me to believe you would give me the Silver Arrow, Herne's pride and joy?"

"For Robin's life, yes. I'd give you anything." Marion measured her words carefully. She had to strike the perfect balance between the sincerity she actually felt and the lie she was telling. Hopefully, Gulnar's desire for the Silver Arrow would outweigh his instinctive suspicion.

Gulnar approached Marion. He leaned toward her until his face was only inches from hers. "And, just how do you plan to get the Silver Arrow from Herne?" 

Marion held her ground, fighting the inner fear that began to seize her heart. "Herne trusts me. He trusts all of us. We can go to his cave and get close enough to steal it."

Gulnar's laughter split the air around them. "He's a god. He isn't going to be fooled by you. He'll know what you're after."

"Not if you disguise my purpose. You can do that, can't you?" Marion said it with a tone that she hoped would inflame the sorcerer's ego. It was a direct challenge to his powers.

The sorcerer's eyes narrowed. He clearly suspected something was going on beyond what Marion was telling him. He was also clearly intrigued. He ignored her question. "I could get the arrow and leave Robin as he is."

"To get the Silver Arrow you would have to release Robin first."

Gulnar paced up and down for several minutes. He debated back and forth between releasing Robin and getting the Silver Arrow and trying to get the arrow without freeing his enemy. Obviously, the latter would be preferable, but perhaps he could go ahead and do as Marion wished. It would be far easier, and then he could get his revenge on Robin later. More likely, this was some kind of trick. But, what? Herne couldn't free Robin from the spell. This Gulnar knew. If the plan was to capture him, how would that help the Hooded Man? He was sure above all else that saving Robin was the ultimate goal.

All the while this inner conflict was going on in the sorcerer's mind, Marion was standing calmly. It took the greatest force of will to appear that way. She had to remind herself to breathe. 

The sorcerer adopted a friendly demeanor. "I know you suspect a trick from me just as I do from you. If we are each to get what we want, there will have to be a certain amount of trust between us." 

Marion fully expected that he was lying to her. It was all too easy. The suspicion she felt was easily read on her face. She forced a smile. "You are the one with the power," Marion reminded him. "You can go back on your word, and there is nothing I can do about it. I have no power beyond the love I have for Robin. And, that will hardly make a difference to you."

"True," Gulnar acknowledged. "So, I ask, why are you so willing to betray Herne?"

"Robin will be free." She said it with such conviction that Gulnar had no doubt she was sincere. He knew right then that the Silver Arrow would soon be his. The prospect delighted him. To Marion he said, "Having Robin know I have the Silver Arrow, and knowing he can try all he wants to defeat me, and it will never happen, may be an even better revenge than where he is now. Having Herne know it, too, is a bonus." Gulnar clearly relished the thought. 

Inwardly, Marion was willing Gulnar to accept the deal.

Finally, Gulnar came to a stop and faced Marion. "I will do as you wish. You can have Robin back, and I will have the Silver Arrow. I'm sure you won't agree, but I have far the better bargain." He turned away. "We'll go there now." If he expected Marion to hesitate, he was disappointed. She followed him obediently.

* * * * * * * * * * 

Nasir, who had returned to the camp, and who was now hidden near the trail, saw Gulnar and Marion approaching. He quickly and quietly ran to the camp to tell the others. They were waiting when Marion and the sorcerer entered the clearing.

"Ah, the Outlaws of Sherwood Forest. I expected nothing less," Gulnar greeted.

Behind him, Marion was smiling and nodding, although Gulnar's very presence told them he had agreed to the deal.

Gulnar turned to Marion. "Yes, she's right. I have agreed to her heartfelt offer. It was very touching. She's quite the actress. You should have been there." The sarcasm fairly dripped from his tongue. 

The outlaws, to a man, glared at the sorcerer.

Gulnar walked over to where Robin lay. There was a triumphant smile on his face. "I dearly love the thought of you being in your prison." He stood silently for a few minutes. He was unaware, of course, that Robin had never awakened thanks to Herne and thus, couldn't hear the sorcerer's gloating words.

No one else dared move. They barely even breathed.

Gulnar's eyes narrowed. "I will set you free," he told Robin, as he knelt down beside him. "But, I think you will find the prison you will soon experience far worse. You won't be able to help the people you came here to help. They will curse your helplessness. They will hate you. Very fitting, I think." 

Will came close to ramming Gulnar in the back with his sword. Seeing that madman reach out and touch Robin made Will's skin crawl. 

Gulnar had put his right hand on Robin's head and uttered several arcane words none of them understood. Then, he began a high-pitched chant.

The tension in the air was as taught as a drawn bowstring. All eyes were on Robin. Would ha really get up, or was this just another form of Gulnar's torture?

For several minutes, nothing happened. Will was just about to voice his displeasure when Robin began to stir.

Gulnar stood up and stepped back. There was a mixture of triumph that he was able to rouse Robin when no one else could, not even Herne the Hunter, and displeasure at having to release his hated enemy. For one brief second, he contemplated reversing the spell. It galled him to see Robin awakening. He reminded himself that soon he would have the Silver Arrow in his hands. Then, he could get his revenge on the Hooded Man, on all of them.

Marion ran past the sorcerer and fell to her knees. She put her arms around Robin the instant he sat up. "Oh, Robin," she said happily. She hugged him tightly. Realizing that she hadn't given him time to adjust, she pulled back. Her face glowed with pure joy.

Robin shook his head, trying to clear the mental cobwebs. He smiled at Marion. "My goodness, Tuck, that sleeping draught really knocked me out. I feel like I've been asleep for days."

Marion reached out and stroked his golden hair. "You'll be fine," she whispered.

"Help me up," Robin requested. Marion stood up and held her hand out to him. Robin grasped it and used it for leverage as he got to his feet. His balance hadn't quite returned, so Marion put her arms around his waist and held him.

The outlaws ran to him and shook his hand. Much was so excited he hugged Robin. John also gave him a big bear hug, slapping him on the back as he let go.

Gulnar was getting impatient with this display of affection. "Now, for the Silver Arrow."

"The Silver Arrow?" Robin asked puzzled. "What's he talking about? And, what's he doing here?" Robin glared at the sorcerer. "I thought you were dead." 

"The Silver Arrow is the price to be paid for your release," Gulnar was happy to explain. 

"No," Robin groaned as he made the connection. His friends were trading his release from the spell for the Silver Arrow. He looked at John. "My life isn't worth that."

"It is to us," Marion said. 

"Herne..."

"Herne couldn't free you. We had no choice, Robin," John said with the proper amount of defeat to impress Gulnar, although he spoke the absolute truth.

"Herne knows the evil you would join to the power of the Silver Arrow."

Robin looked Gulnar in the eye. "He'll never give it to you." 

"Not even to save his son?" Gulnar couldn't resist asking.

"Not even then." Robin squeezed Marion when he made the next statement. "He chose me after Loxley died. He can choose another after I'm gone." He resisted the urge to look at Marion and tell her he was sorry. He was sure she understood why he had to say what he did.

"The bargain's been struck," Gulnar informed the outlaw leader. "I can strike you down this instant, if I chose."

"No!" Marion and Much shouted at the same time. John's "no" was a split second behind theirs and made the word sound like an echo.

Impatience was growing in the sorcerer. "Let's get on with it, shall we?" 

Marion let go of Robin and walked up to Gulnar. "You have to hide my purpose before I can go to Herne's cave."

"Marion, no, you can't." Robin insisted, realizing the full meaning of the bargain. "You can't deceive Herne like that. Not to steal the Silver Arrow." He walked up to her and turned her around to face him. "Please, don't do this."

"I have to," Marion told him. "I promised. We all promised." Her eyes looked deeply into his. "I left you to go to Halstead, because I couldn't face the possibility of losing you. I left Halstead because it was worse being without you. I won't let _anything_ stop our life together."

"Delude yourself all you want," Robin said to Gulnar as he looked over Marion's head. "Herne will never let you have the arrow."

"We'll see," was all the sorcerer said. He tapped Marion on the shoulder, and before Robin could stop it, Gulnar waved his hand in front of Marion's face and uttered two words. 

Marion blinked. 

Robin turned her head toward him. He searched her face, but there was no hint of a trance. Her eyes were clear and full of love for him. There was also the fierce determination that he had always admired in her.

"I'm not bewitched," she assured him. "Herne just won't be able to read my intentions."

One more time, Robin implored her, "Don't do this, Marion. not to save _me_."

Marion hugged Robin and whispered in his ear, "Trust me." The words were so faint, Robin discerned their meaning more than he heard the actual words. When Marion turned and walked toward the trees, heading in the direction of Herne's cave, he didn't try to stop her.

"You won't succeed," he told Gulnar with the certainty he fully felt.

"You better hope I do." 

The threat was very real, and Robin knew it, but it didn't matter. He still didn't want the plan to be successful. No matter how powerful Herne might be, Robin was shaken to think the sorcerer might somehow pull this off, and he hated to think of what the loss of the Silver Arrow would mean to Herne.

Before Marion had gone twenty feet, Gulnar yelled for her to stop. She turned around, fearful that Gulnar had decided to abandon that plan in favor of imprisoning Robin again. Gulnar motioned her to come back. "I've changed the plan a little," he fairly purred. He turned to Robin and pointed. "You're going in her place."

Robin regarded the sorcerer but didn't say anything. The truth was he half expected it. When Marion had started off, he thought maybe he had been wrong. He was pleased to see he hadn't been. He didn't like the idea that Marion was going to try to trick Herne and get away with the Silver Arrow. It wasn't Herne he feared, of course, it was the fact Gulnar may turn on her when she didn't succeed. His main reasoning was that Gulnar would enjoy the trick much more if Herne's son was the one to steal the arrow from the forest god.

Gulnar smiled. "You knew, didn't you?" he asked Robin. "You knew I wanted you to go."

"I thought you might. You want _me_ to be the one to steal from Herne." 

Gulnar's wicked smile confirmed Robin's reasoning. Gulnar held his hand out to Robin and crossed it in front of his face, as he had done to Marion. This time he spoke three words. The words he had said to Marion were gibberish, meaning nothing. These words were powerful.

Robin felt a strange, tingling sensation move through his body. It wasn't painful, but it did make him uncomfortable. Whether it was purely a physical feeling or whether is was indicative of something deeper, he wasn't sure. He suspected it was probably both. Could he disobey Gulnar, if he tried? Or, did the sorcerer cast another unbreakable spell over him. If he was Gulnar, he wouldn't trust anyone in this group. They were too much under the influence of the Lord of the Trees.

Robin kissed Marion and smiled. He looked over her head again, this time at John, who returned his look with one of concern. Robin tried to convey confidence. He turned and headed in the direction that would take him to the lake and Herne's cave. 

No one had explained the plan to him. When Gulnar woke him up, there was no time. At first, he had been upset at what was happening, then he had gathered the rudiments of the plan by what was being revealed during the conversation. He was to go to Herne's cave, get the Silver Arrow, and hand it over to the sorcerer. Robin's intention would be hidden from the Lord of the Trees by the spell Gulnar had just put on him. At least, that was the plan as Robin saw it. Whether Herne could be fooled was another matter. 

When he had tried to kill his friends, Robin hadn't been able to stop himself, but he had been able to verbally warn them. Maybe, he could do the same now. Then, the thought occurred to him that Herne must surely be in on the plan. He'd be waiting, knowing it was Robin who was coming. Wouldn't Gulnar know this, too? Wouldn't he have made provisions for that? 

Robin knew that Herne was the more powerful of the two, so he had to believe that whatever the actual plan, he and his friends would be protected. The Powers of Light and Darkness were definitely stirring this day.

Robin arrived at Herne's cave and eagerly entered. He climbed out of the little boat and waited a minute, and when Herne didn't appear, he called out his name. Three was no answer. Robin looked around and found no evidence that the forest god was anywhere around. Robin called again. Still nothing. He had been sure Herne would be here and would then explain the plan in detail. 

'Now what?' Robin asked himself. He knew Gulnar was an impatient man. If Robin took too long, there was no telling what the sorcerer might do. 

After a while, Robin decided he would go out and see if he could find Herne. He couldn't understand why the forest god wouldn't be here for something this important. Robin shook his head. Sometimes Herne's whereabouts proved to be as much of a riddle as his enigmatic words.

As Robin started to leave, he glanced to his left. There, leaning against the cave wall, was a silver arrow. Was it _the_ Silver Arrow? Surely, Herne didn't expect him to take the real one to a man who had the power to bring about the devastation he was sure the sorcerer would create in order to fulfill his dreams of domination. 

Robin picked up the Silver Arrow and left Herne's cave. He fought the urge to shout for Herne to come and tell him what to do. Herne had left in his hands yet another puzzle he expected Robin to carry out on faith alone. "Well, I don't guess I have any choice but to do it," he muttered.

It was a little over half an hour back to camp. That's all the time he had to come up with some kind of answer. Stop Gulnar. Keep the Silver Arrow. Prevent Gulnar from wreaking revenge on them all. 'Simple enough,' Robin thought. Did he really need to come up with a plan of his own, or had Herne already taken care of it? Maybe, he was just supposed to be the instrument to deliver the sorcerer's destruction. 

Robin stopped at the edge of the trees before entering the camp. He observed his friends quietly sitting around the fire. None of them were talking. Gulnar was pacing a few feet away. He was muttering to himself, impatience written all over his face. Robin could see the man was tightly wound and about ready to erupt. 

'Just in time,' Robin told himself. With a sigh, he advanced into the clearing.

"Robin!" Much shouted as he looked up and saw his leader advancing on the group.

He was greeted with smiles and a big hug from Marion, who asked, "Did Herne suspect anything?"

Robin shook his head.

Gulnar's eyes had immediately gone to the Silver Arrow tucked in Robin's sword belt. "Let me have it," he demanded.

"I wouldn't have brought it, if I weren't concerned for my friends and what you would do to them if I didn't return with it," Robin informed Gulnar. There was a tinge of sadness in his voice. He wasn't sure if the sorcerer would really let them all go anyway. He had never been told what he should do. But, hadn't the arrow been there just waiting for him? Robin shook his head. It was far too late to be concerned about all that now.

Robin made no move to pull the arrow from his belt. "What do you intend on doing now?"

Gulnar's eyes fairly glowed as he stared at the arrow. "You'll have your miserable life and so will your friends. That's all you need to know. Give me the arrow," he demanded once again.

Robin gently pushed Marion away from him and pulled the arrow free. He held it in both hands and looked down at it. 'Please, Herne, let this be the right thing to do.' In answer to the mental plea, the words, 'So must it be,' whispered in his mind. With total confidence, Robin handed the Silver Arrow to Gulnar.

Greedily, the sorcerer grabbed it. He held it in both hands the same way Robin just had. His eyes glowed with the inner fire of his evil power. The horrible sound of his laughter rose and swelled.

The laughter turned to an ear-splitting scream as a sudden flash of light exploded around the sorcerer. The light was so bright, the outlaws had to turn away. When they looked back, Gulnar was gone. Gray smoke swirled where he had just stood. As it cleared, they saw the Silver Arrow standing alone, its point embedded in the earth amid a pile of ashes, some of which were still floating lazily to the ground.

"What happened?" John asked in shock. "Where's Gulnar?"

Robin smiled. "Destroyed. I have the feeling it's for good this time."

"How?" Tuck asked equally as shocked as John was, as they all were.

"In this case, the Power of Light defeated the Power of Darkness," Robin replied. 

Off to the left, another flash of light appeared. Herne stood there in his stag persona. "Gulnar and his evil are gone. You are free of him forever." Robin retrieved the Silver Arrow and placed it in Herne's outstretched hands. "Well done, my children, my son." Then Herne and the arrow vanished in another flash of light. 

The Silver Arrow was back where it belonged, and the outlaws of Sherwood were once more free to continue their fight for justice.

~End~


End file.
